Turkey

12 Dec 2022; MEMO: The number of tankers waiting to pass through Istanbul's Bosporus Strait on the way to the Mediterranean fell to 13 on Monday, from 17 a day earlier, the Tribeca Shipping Agency said, showing an easing of the recent build-up in traffic, Reuters reports.

A Turkish measure in force since the start of the month has caused shipping delays. It requires vessels to provide proof of insurance covering the duration of their transit through the Bosporus Strait or when calling at Turkish ports.

13 Dec 2022; MEMO: Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has demanded that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, clear Kurdish militias from the Syrian border region, three years after Moscow guaranteed Ankara it would do so.

In a phone call yesterday, Erdogan told Putin that it is "important to clear the [Kurdish fighters] from the border to a depth of at least 30 kilometres" and also "stated this was a priority", according to the Turkish presidential office.

11 Dec 2022; MEMO: Ankara and Moscow can start working on the export of different food products and gradually other commodities through the grain corridor, the Turkish president told his Russian counterpart on Sunday, reports Anadolu Agency.

In a phone call with Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said over 13 million tons of grain have reached those in need through joint efforts so far under the Black Sea grain export deal, according to a statement by Turkiye's Communications Directorate.

ANKARA, December 11. /TASS/: The only Russian tanker with crude oil currently stuck near the Bosphorus will enter the strait on Monday, the Turkish Transport Ministry’s Directorate General of Coastal Safety said on Sunday.

"The oily Russian oil tanker staying in Turkey’s territorial waters has presented a letter confirming its insurance coverage and tomorrow it will enter the Bosphorus. There are no other Russian tankers with crude oil waiting for a permit to pass the straits," it wrote on its Twitter account.

ANKARA, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Sunday discussed Türkiye-Russia relations, including the exports through the Black Sea grain corridor and the fight against terrorism along the Turkish-Syrian border, Türkiye's presidency said in a statement.

ISTANBUL, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Turkey emerged as a critical stumbling block to a complex international plan to deprive Russia of wartime oil revenues as the number of tankers waiting to exit the Black Sea through Turkish straits continued to rise on Friday.

Ankara has declined to scrap a new insurance inspection rule it implemented at the beginning of the month despite days of pressure from Western officials frustrated by the policy.

A total of 28 oil tankers are in a queue seeking to leave the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, the Tribeca shipping agency said on Friday.

06 Dec 2022; MEMO: The Federation of the Israeli Chambers of Commerce (FICC) and the Turkish Exporters Association (TIM) held meetings between 100 Israeli businessmen and 400 Turkish exporters in Istanbul, Arutz Sheva reported yesterday.

06 Dec 2022; MEMO: A letter provided by Russian insurer, Ingosstrakh, enabled the first oil tanker to sail through Turkish waters in recent days after tougher regulations were imposed by Turkish authorities, a document showed, Reuters reports.

This has led already at least 20 oil tankers backed up in the Turkish Straits as they do not have the right paperwork.

05 Dec 2022; MEMO: Turkiye announced that its unmanned fighter jet would soon perform its maiden flight after a take-off test, where it lifted off the ground for a short duration of time, local Turkish media reports.

According to the report, the National Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle System (MIUS), named "Kızılelma", completed its first runway run and autonomous taxiing test last month at an air base in north-western Tekirdag province.

06 Dec 2022; MEMO: Oil tankers formed a traffic jam off the coast of Turkiye on day one of the West's price cap on Russian crude, with Ankara insisting on new proof of insurance for all vessels, the Financial Times reported on Monday.

Around 19 crude oil tankers were waiting to cross Turkish waters on Monday, the report said, citing ship brokers, oil traders and satellite tracking services, Reuters reports.